General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - July 2016

Jul 2016

Apr 16, 2021

SC Asks Govt. for Reasonable Timeline to Clear Names Given by Collegium

The Supreme Court asked the Centre to apprise it of a reasonable time frame within which it can respond to the recommendations made by its collegium for appointment of judges as the government said that it will adhere to the timeline fixed in the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP).
The government blamed the delay on clearing of names on High Courts for not sending the recommendations on time and said that many of them have not sent the names for the last five years against the existing vacancy.

Housing & Urban Affairs Minister launches EatSmart Cities Challenge and Transport 4 All Challenge

Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched the EatSmart Cities Challenge and Transport 4 All Challenge through video conferencing. EatSmart Cities Challenge is an opportunity for India to play a pioneering role in developing the concept of integrating food systems into city planning and development. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Puri said that this movement will nudge the urban populace to make the right food choices and help build a healthier and happier nation. The EatSmart Cities Challenge is envisioned as a competition among cities to recognize their efforts in adopting and scaling up various initiatives under Eat Right India. The challenge is open to all Smart Cities, capital cities of States and Union Territories, and cities with a population of more than five lakh.
The Transport 4 All Challenge aims to bring together cities, citizen groups, and start-ups to develop solutions that improve public transport to better serve the needs of all citizens. Mr. Puri said that COVID-19 has brought the entire world to a halt with transport being one of the worst-hit sectors. He added that the Transport4All Digital Innovation Challenge will support cities to recover from this mobility crisis.

Indian Government Revises OCI Card Rules

Indian-Americans have welcomed the Indian government's decision to simplify the process of maintaining Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards, saying more overseas citizens will now opt for this form of residency.
OCI cardholders will now be required to get their document re-issued only once at the age of 20 instead of multiple times needed to be done currently, according to the Home Ministry.
Highly popular among overseas Indians, the OCI card provides long term visa free travel and stay in India and gives the cardholders a host of privileges normally not given to a foreign national. So far, India has issued about 37.72 lakh OCI Cards.

Mamata Banerjee Urges EC to Hold Elections for Remaining Phases at One Go

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged the Election Commission to think about conducting polls for the remaining assembly seats at one go, in view of rising cases of COVID-19 in the state. She also stressed that her party had earlier opposed the prolonged eight-phase poll schedule.

Apr 15, 2021

Delhi and EU to Resume Formal Talks on Trade

The resumption of the ad hoc India-EU human rights dialogue earlier this week has paved the way for more substantial talks on trade.
The dialogue held after eight years has led to India and the EU deciding to resume formal negotiations for a trade and investment agreement on May 8, the day PM Narendra Modi will attend the Leader's Meeting during the EU summit in Porto, Portugal.
The need for holding the dialogue had become more pressing after both sides agreed on the need for its resumption during the virtual summit in July last year. This was after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had staved off a potentially embarrassing vote at the European Parliament on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by citing assurances.

Rajnath Singh to Inaugurate First Bi-annual Indian Air Force Commanders' Conference 2021

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate Indian Air Force (IAF) Commanders` Conference at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan).
According to the Defence Ministry, the conference is aimed at addressing the issues of IAF`s operational capabilities in the times to come.
A series of discussions would be conducted over three days to address strategies and policies related to capabilities that would give IAF a significant edge over its adversaries.

Britain PM Boris Johnson to Shorten India Visit

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reduced the length of his trip to India later this month because of the COVID-19 situation in the country.
His visit will be focused on high-level discussions with the Indian government and Indian business leaders. The programme would now take place on April 26.
The British Prime Minister had cancelled his visit to India in January this year due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in the UK. He was invited to take part in Republic Day celebrations as chief guest.

Modi to Attend Leaders' Meet in Portugal in May

The resumption of the ad hoc India-EU human rights dialogue earlier this week has paved the way for more substantial talks on trade.
The dialogue, only one that India holds with an entity, held after eight years has led to India and the EU deciding to resume formal negotiations for a trade and investment agreement on May 8, the day PM Narendra Modi attends the Leader's Meeting during the EU summit in Porto, Portugal.

Apr 14, 2021

Goa Forward Party Quits NDA

Goa Forward Party (GFP) president Vijai Sardesai announced his party's formal withdrawal from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), blaming the state government for following "anti-Goan" policies that have wreaked havoc on the state's unique way of life, heritage, environment and livelihood.
Sardesai, who earlier served as a minister in former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's cabinet, announced the party's decision after its executive committee passed a resolution on Tuesday. The announcement also comes at a time when the GFP and the Congress have joined hands to contest Margao Municipal Council polls, ahead of the municipal council polls in five municipalities in the state.

Pradyot Kishore to Take Oath as Autonomous Council Chief

After a thumping victory in Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) polls, all the 18 winning candidates of the regional political party, Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA), led by royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarma will take oath of office on April 20, ending the Communist Party of India's (Marxist) (CPM) three-term rule of the council.
Pradyot Kishore is expected to take oath as the chief executive member of the 30-member council. With this poll, his party has emerged as the second biggest political force in the state, barely two years before the state goes to assembly polls. Pradyot resigned from the Congress in 2019 and floated TIPRA Motha this year with the chief promise of forming a Greater Tipraland by including indigenous population living outside the TTAADC region in Tripura and other Indian states like, Assam, Mizoram and some parts of neighbouring country Bangladesh.

Arindam Bhattacharya Joins BJP ahead of Fifth Phase of WB Polls

Bengali footballer Arindam Bhattacharya on Tuesday formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the fifth phase of the ongoing assembly West Bengal elections in the state.
The four phases of the eight-phased elections in West Bengal have been marred with violence, the recent example of which is the death of four people when security personnel opened fire in the Cooch Behar district.

Apr 13, 2021

Judge Who Gave Babri Case Verdict Appointed 'Up-lokayukta'

Retired judge Surendra Kumar Yadav, who gave the verdict in the high-profile Babri mosque demolition case last year, took oath as an 'up-lokayukta in Uttar Pradesh.
Yadav was appointed as third 'up-lokayukta' by the Governor. Yadav was administered oath by Lokayukta Sanjay Mishra in the presence of other senior officers.
The anti-corruption watchdog comprises the Lokayukta and three 'up-lokayuktas'.
The other two up-lokayuktas are Shambu Singh Yadav, who was appointed on August 4, 2016, and Dinesh Kumar Singh, who was appointed on June 6, 2020.
The tenure of an 'up-lokayukta' is eight years.

Narendra Modi Inaugurates 6th Edition of Raisina Dialogue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 6th edition of the Raisina Dialogue. President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame and Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen also joined the Inaugural Session as chief guests.
The dialogue will be held virtually from April 13 to 16, 2021.
The Raisina Dialogue is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, held annually since 2016. It is jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation.
The 2021 edition will have 50 sessions with the participation of 150 speakers from 50 countries and multilateral organisations. More than 2000 attendees have pre-registered from over 80 countries and a large number of participants are likely to join the Dialogue through various social media platforms.

VP Releases Commemorative Postage Stamp of Former Chief of Brahma Kumaris Rajyogini Dadi Janki

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu released a commemorative postage stamp in the memory of former Chief of Brahma Kumaris Rajyogini Dadi Janki in New Delhi. Mr. Naidu said that what makes Brahma Kumaris so special is that the organisation is led by women. He said they have demonstrated that spiritual attainments transcend gender-based distinction. The Vice President said, society needs to be educated on equal rights to women in every field, not merely in letter, but in spirit, as well. He said, spirituality is the basis of all religions and the same spiritual thread binds them together. Mr Naidu said, we should draw inspiration from Dadi Janki's life which was dedicated to God and to selfless service of humanity.

Madras HC Appoints New Registrar General

The Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee appointed P. Dhanabal as the new Registrar General of the court. The latter, now functioning on deputation in the Puducherry Judicial Service as Chief Judge, has been repatriated to the Tamil Nadu State Judicial Service and posted on other duty as the Registrar General of the High Court in the place of C. Kumarappan, who has been transferred to the Principal Labour Court in Chennai as its presiding officer.

Apr 12, 2021

India and Netherland Strategic Partnership in Water Sector

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual summit with his Netherlands counterpart Mark Rutte. The leaders agreed to diversify the ties in trade and economy between the countries. They also agreed to expand their relations in smart cities, agriculture, science and technology, healthcare, and space.
A fast-tracking mechanism is to be set up between the two countries to facilitate bilateral trade and resolve issues of the companies in both countries. For the investors in India and Dutch companies, it is to be set up in Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
During the summit, India and Netherlands launched a strategic partnership on water. Under the partnership, the countries agreed to alleviate the joint working group on water to ministerial level. It also aimed to broaden bilateral cooperation in new areas of water.
Under the partnership the countries will focus on water budgeting, converting wastewater to energy and decentralized treatment technologies and cost effective water technologies.
Netherlands is the world leader in water management. One-fourth of Netherlands lies under sea level. Yet, the Dutch have successfully comprehended water related challenges and have tested technologies and solutions in delta management, desalination, flood control.

Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra Set to be Next CEC

As per reports, Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra is set to become the next chief election commissioner.
Going by the convention of appointing the senior-most election commissioner as the CEC, the government is learnt to have cleared his name for the top post at Nirvachan Sadan.
Chandra will assume charge on April 13, a day after incumbent Sunil Arora demits office.
Chandra was appointed as an election commissioner on February 14, 2019 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
He would demit office on May 14, 2022.

More ROPAX Ferries and Water Taxis to be Part of Mumbai's Transportation

In order to promote eco-friendly waterways transportation and reduce the traffic load of crowded Mumbai city roads, the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has planned more water taxis and RO-PAX ferries for the city's transportation.
Four new routes for ROPAX-ferry services and 12 new routes of water taxi are likely to be operational by December 2021. It was decided in a meeting chaired by Minister of State (I/C) for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh Mandaviya, with the senior officials of the Ministry, Chairperson of Mumbai Port and officials of Maharashtra Maritime Board.
Currently, the ROPAX (roll-on/roll-off passenger) service is operational from Bhaucha Dhakka (Ferry Wharf) to Mandwa (Alibag) and reduces the road journey of 110 km to about 18 km by using waterways. It has also reduced the travel time of daily commuters from about 3-4 hours to one hour.

Nirmala Sitharaman Attends 103rd Development Committee Meeting of World Bank-IMF

Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 103rd Meeting of the Development Committee Plenary, via video conferencing. During the meeting, she shared the measures taken to combat COVID-19 including social support measures for the poor and vulnerable, and relief measures for firms in statutory and regulatory compliance matters.
World Bank Group (WBG) and International Monetary Fund Support for Debt Relief Under the Common Framework and Beyond;
As a part of the meeting, Sitharaman also informed that the Government of India has announced Aatma Nirbhar Packages of Rs. 27.1 trillion, which amounts to more than 13% of the GDP. These packages would provide social protection to the poor and vulnerable as well as push forward the economic reforms.

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